In the present business environment users are increasingly dependent on access to electronic documents and other files for performing regular business functions. Historically, users stored files upon their local machines and when traveling stored the files on portable media. However, this practice was less than ideal as it did not allow multiple users to simultaneously access the newest version of a file, the size of the physical media limited the types of files that could be used, and the physical media were often unreliable.
As networking technology became more easily accessible, some solutions arose to allow users to access their files away from their home or work computers. Several operating systems enabled users to access files stored on remote networks through internet gateways or TCP/IP enabled file sharing. However, security concerns often limited the usability of such solutions. In order to preserve the vital integrity of the files stored on local networks, such solutions often require users to employ client side Virtual Private Networking (VPN) connections to allow secure access to their remotely stored files. While VPN provides a tolerable level of protection to the remotely stored files, it presents a number of significant difficulties.
Firstly, configuring a client to use VPN requires both administrator level access to the client machine and a lengthy setup procedure. For situations where users wish to access their files from public machines such as those at a retail business center or an internet cafe, this proves to be an intolerable inconvenience. Additionally, many client devices that have entered the market during the past few years such as data-ready cellular phones and Personal Data Assistants (PDA), lack robust support for VPN. Furthermore, VPN typically only allows access to one private network at a time, requiring users that seek to access multiple secure networks to disconnect from the first network before accessing the second network, rather than enjoying simultaneous access to both networks.
Additionally, beyond their restrictions in accessing the raw data sources, VPN and similar remote-access solutions often fail to provide a useful interface for accessing the stored files. Users are forced to wade through complicated file hierarchies to access their preferred files, a task which can be especially cumbersome when using slower devices.
What is needed is a solution that allows users easy and secure access to frequently used files on a variety of file sources.